What Happened To The Cast Of Knots Landing?

In the late '70s and '80s, audiences were obsessed with the TV show "Dallas," prime time western soap opera about the Ewings (a family of ranchers, oilmen, and politicians who fight and flirt with other families of ranchers, oilmen, and politicians). The series became so popular that the network CBS began developing a spin-off centered around one of the Ewings we saw very little of in the original series.

The new project — titled "Knots Landing" — followed Ted Shackelford's Gary Ewing and his wife Valene (Joan Van Ark) after they moved to a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California (famously, they lived in a cul-de-sac, which provided the subtitle of a follow-up project released after the show's finale in 1993). We recently checked back in with the cast of the 1978 series "Dallas" to see where they ended up after all these years. But that stroll down memory lane got us thinking — what happened to the cast of "Knots Landing" after the show was over? 

Jill Bennett — the dangerous love interest of Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) — was played by Canadian actor Teri Austin. She was nominated for Soap Opera Digest awards in 1986 (Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role on a Prime Time Serial) and 1989 (Outstanding Villain: Prime Time) before finally winning in the latter category for her farewell season in 1990. She departed "Knots Landing" during season 10, Jill having died by accidentally locking herself in the trunk of Gary's car.

Austin guest-starred on several television shows — including the 2nd season of "Quantum Leap" (episode 15, "Her Charm") — before landing a recurring role on the short-lived ABC musical police procedural "Cop Rock." Once it was cancelled, she appeared multiple times on the prominent series "Matlock," "Seinfeld," and "Beverly Hills, 90210," and guest-starred on "L.A. Law" and "Murder She Wrote." 

In 1994, she rejoined the world of soap operas with a minor recurring role in "Models Inc.," a series led by "Dallas" alum Linda Gray. She retired from acting in 2001 to focus on animal welfare activism, aiming to reduce the amount of euthanization in Los Angeles by spearheading spay and neutering programs.

Arguably the current most-famous alumni of "Knots Landing" is Alec Baldwin, who played Lilimae Clements' (Julie Harris) estranged and disturbed son Joshua Rush. After debuting in season 6, Baldwin won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding New Actor in a Prime Time Serial in 1985, and was nominated for Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial and Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial in 1986. In season 7, Joshua fell off a roof to his untimely death, allowing Baldwin to leave the series.

Baldwin's star rose dramatically post-"Knots Landing" with roles in lauded and/or culturally dominant projects like "Beetlejuice," "The Hunt for Red October," "Glengarry Glen Ross," the TV miniseries "Nuremberg," and "State and Main." In 2003, he played Shelly Kaplow in "The Cooler" and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His hot streak continued with roles in the Martin Scorsese films "The Aviator" and "The Departed," Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd," and dozens of other projects. In 2006, he began playing ruthless businessman and entertainment executive Jack Donaghy on the NBC entertainment satire "30 Rock." The series became one of the most popular American TV shows ever made, and Donaghy — having won the actor eight nominations and two wins at the Emmy Awards – arguably remains Baldwin's most notable role.

In the 2010s, Baldwin's career cooled only slightly with smaller roles in projects like "It's Complicated," "Mission: Impossible," "Motherless Brooklyn," "BlacKkKlansman." In the latter half of the decade, he was best known for voicing the titular character in "The Boss Baby" and parodying U.S. President Donald Trump on several episodes of "Saturday Night Live" (he was awarded another Emmy Award for the latter). 

While filming the western "Rust" in 2021, a prop gun used by Baldwin mistakenly and unexpectedly discharged real ammunition, injuring director Joel Souza and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. After spending several years in courts, involuntary manslaughter charges filed against Baldwin were dismissed. He has several projects currently in development, including an untitled TV series with Kelsey Grammer.

For her performance as Olivia Cunningham Dyer — the wayward daughter of Donna Mills' Abby Fairgate — Tonya Crowe received widespread acclaim as a young actor. She was nominated for six Young Artists Awards (winning in 1989 for Best Young Actress in a Nighttime Drama Series) and four Soap Opera Digest awards (winning Outstanding Supporting Actress: Prime Time three consecutive times). She left the series in 1990 during the 11th season, in which Olivia absconded to Florida with her mobster fiancé Harold Dyer (future "Damages" and "Mindhunter" recurring guest star Paul Carafotes).

Crowe's acting career after "Knots Landing" was brief, consisting only of the reunion miniseries "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac" and a guest-starring role on the syndicated action series "Soldier of Fortune, Inc." Her final role was in the comedy "Only in Venice" in 2001, which she co-wrote, produced, and edited as well. She then focused her attention on her studies at UCLA, as well her growing interest in yoga.

In season 5 of "Knots Landing," two-time Emmy Award-nominee William Devane joined the cast as Greg Sumner, the former friend, employer, and ultimate rival of Marion "Mack" MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson). Devane has the distinction of being one of the show's few cast members to be nominated for a mainstream entertainment industry award — in 1987, he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Drama), ultimately losing to "The Equalizer" star Edward Woodward. He was also nominated for six Soap Opera Digest awards for Outstanding Lead Actor: Prime Time, winning three times.

After "Knots Landing" ended, Devane landed a core role on the ABC tennis sitcom "Phenom," which was cancelled after two seasons. He then recurred on "Early Edition" before leading the even shorter-lived CBS police procedural "Turks" and starring in the ill-fated "Michael Richards Show." Around this time, he had memorable roles in the films "Payback" (1999) and "Space Cowboys" (2000). 

Recurring roles on "The West Wing" and "Stargate SG-1" eventually led to him joining the cast of the hit thriller series "24" as U.S. Defense Secretary James Heller. He reprised this role in the 2014 miniseries "24: Live Another Day." More recently, he was a series regular on the legal sitcom "The Grinder" and had a recurring role on "Bosch: Legacy."

Speaking of "Mack" MacKenzie, "Kojak" star Kevin Dobson joined "Knots Landing" as the dashing attorney in season 4 and remained part of the cast through to its finale in 1993. He was nominated for seven Soap Opera Digest awards during his tenure, winning in various categories including Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role and Favorite Super Couple (alongside Karen MacKenzie actor Michele Lee).

Dobson guest-starred on several shows immediately after "Knots Landing" ended including "The Commish." In 1996 he began starring in the CTV television adaptation of the film "F/X," though it was cancelled after two seasons. His next major role was in the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful," in which he played Judge David Owens. This was closely followed by another soap role — reviving the character Mickey Horton for the long-running series "Days of Our Lives." He had a few smaller TV roles in the early 2010s, including a recurring stint on "House of Lies" with Don Cheadle. He seemingly retired in 2014 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 77.

Stacy Galina originally joined the cast of "Knots Landing" in season 11 as Greg Sumner's daughter Mary-Frances. The role had been recast (child actor Danielle Brisebois played the character in season 5) and was only written into a constrained four-episode arc that ended with her murder. In season 12, however, Galina was shockingly brought back as Mary-Frances' identical cousin Kate Whittaker, an athlete who falls for Gary Ewing. She was part of the series' core cast for the rest of its run.

She guest-starred on an episode of "Party of Five" before joining the cast of the USA Network sitcom "Lost on Earth." It ended after one season. Her next sitcom project — "Alright Already" on The WB — lasted slightly longer, but it was also quickly cancelled. After yet another leading role was taken from her, when the NBC sitcom "Hidden Hills" was cancelled in 2003, Galina began transitioning out of acting. She retired in 2011 and now designs bespoke jewelry.

Julie Harris appeared sporadically throughout the first nine seasons of "Knots Landing" as Valene Ewing's (Joan Van Ark) mother Lilimae Clements. Harris was already a celebrated actor with acclaim on stage and screen, and her performance on the soap opera earned her nominations at both the Soap Opera Digest Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards.

After leaving "Knots Landing" during its 9th season, Harris earned another Emmy nomination for her supporting roles in the TV movies "The Woman He Loved" and "Ellen Foster." She also appeared in the 1993 George A. Romero horror film "The Dark Half." Amidst a litany of other roles, she returned to Broadway for the William Luce play "Lucifer's Child" and the D.L. Coburn play "The Gin Game," earning Tony Award nominations for both. In 1999, she won an Emmy for voicing Susan B. Anthony in the series "Not for Ourselves Alone." Her final role was in the 2009 feature "The Lightkeepers," and she passed away four years later at the age of 87.

Lisa Hartman first joined "Knots Landing" in season 4 for a single season arc as Ciji Dunne, a musician whose eventual murder serves as a plot device. Hartman was brought back as Cathy Geary, a woman who happens to look exactly like Ciji and falls for Gary Ewing (he has a thing for women who look like other women, apparently). She was memorably also the love interest of Alec Baldwin's Joshua Rush, though she was written off the show with him in season 7. During her relatively brief run on the show, she earned two Soap Opera Digest award nominations, winning one.

On television, Hartman's post-"Knots Landing" projects consisted of several TV movies and a few short-lived series including "High Performance" and "2000 Malibu Road." In 1991, she married country musician Clint Black. In 2020, they both competed on the Fox celebrity reality musical competition "The Masked Singer."

In the first four seasons of "Knots Landing," James Houghton starred as Kenny Ward, Ginger's (Kim Lankford) philandering music producer husband. Both of them departed early in the series' run, though they returned for the reunion miniseries "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac."

Houghton had a few acting roles through the late '80s in TV shows like "Fantasy Island," "The Love Boat," "Remington Steele," and "The Colbys." Most of his time was dedicated to writing over 1800 episodes of the long-running soap opera "The Young and the Restless," for which he was nominated for and won numerous Daytime Emmy Awards. He was also part of the writing team for "The Bold and the Beautiful."

Kenny's wife Ginger — a talented musician who eventually takes the family to Nashville to pursue her dreams — was played by Kim Lankford. When they both left the series 1983, she resumed guest-starring in various popular shows like "Fantasy Island" (alongside James Houghton), "Cheers," "Murphy's Law," and "Diagnosis Murder." She seemingly retired from acting in 2000.

Lankford appeared on TV screens again in 2015, however, in a very unexpected capacity. In the true crime docuseries "The Jinx," the actor shared her experience being romantically involved with the documentary's subject, the soon-to-be convicted murderer Robert Durst. She was also friends with Susan Berman, whom Durst murdered in 2000. Also in 2015, she featured in the historical TV movie "Dead of Winter: The Donner Party," though she has not returned to acting since.

Michele Lee is one of just two "Knots Landing" cast members to be a part of the series' main cast throughout all 14 of its seasons. She played businesswoman Karen Fairgate, who was married to both Sid Fairgate (Don Murray) and Mack MacKenzie. She was nominated for seven Soap Opera Digest awards for the role and won six, and she was additionally nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1982.

Lee spent the years after "Knots Landing" acting in lesser-known projects, including the Lifetime film "Color Me Perfect" (which she also wrote and directed). She also guest-starred on "Family Guy," "Will and Grace," and a few other popular TV shows. In 1998, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A veteran of the stage, Lee returned to Broadway in 2001 for the play "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife," earning her second career Tony Award nomination. In 2015, she stepped into the role of Madame Morrible in the Broadway production of "Wicked."

Teen actor Claudia Lonow played Diana Fairgate, the daughter of Sid and Karen, in 78 episodes across the show's first six seasons and 3 episodes in its 14th and final season. After it ended, she only had a handful of guest-starring roles in the shows "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "7th Heaven."

Like James Houghton, her post-"Knots Landing" career mostly consisted of behind-the-camera work as a writer and a producer. She created and wrote for the Showtime sitcom "Rude Awakening" (which ran for three seasons) as well as the much shorter-lived "Good Girls Don't...," "Accidentally on Purpose," and "How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)." Most recently, she was a co-executive producer of the 2018 NBC sitcom "I Feel Bad."

From seasons 1 through 9, Constance McCashin played mother and real estate agent Laura Avery (later Laura Sumner after she remarries Greg Sumner). She earned one Soap Opera Digest nomination before her character was killed off in 1987. She had very few roles after this, including small appearances in "Family Ties" and "D2: The Mighty Ducks."

In 1991, McCashin began recurring on the NBC sitcom "Brooklyn Bridge." At this same time, she began to grow concerned that her career as an actor would become increasingly difficult as she continued to age. Having found great personal benefit in therapy as a young performer trying to access her emotions, she was inspired to earn her master's in psychology. She earned a second master's in social work afterward, and now works full time as a therapist.

Abby Fairgate, the younger sister of Sid Fairgate, was played by Donna Mills. Though many characters marry and remarry on "Knots Landing," Abby arguably did so with the most prominent characters (perhaps second only to Valene). She was nominated for four Soap Opera Digest awards, winning three, and remained with the series until its 10th season.

Mills has had a long and varied career since leaving "Knots Landing." After appearing in various TV movies and series, she landed a recurring role on "Melrose Place" in 1996, playing Sherry Doucette. 

Years of guest-starring roles followed until 2015, when she landed a supporting role in the Jennifer Lawrence biopic "Joy." This was followed by notable roles in "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens" and "Best Mom," as well as a major role in the TV series "Hilton Head Island." On TV, in 2014, she landed the role of Madeline Reeves on "General Hospital," for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. More recent projects include roles in Jordan Peele's "Nope," Ava Duvernay's "Origin," "The Rookie: Feds," and "NCIS."

For the first two seasons of "Knots Landing," Don Murray played car salesman Sidney "Sid" Fairgate. He appears in only a couple of episodes of the show's 3rd season, during which he dies as a result of falling off a cliff.

After "Knots Landing," Murray starred in a number of low-profile films and TV movies, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's "Peggy Sue Got Married." In 1989 he began starring in the sitcom "Brand New Life," though it only ran for six episodes. The year after it ended, he joined the cast of CBS' "Sons and Daughters," which also ended after only six episodes. He continued to guest-star in various TV shows through the end of the '90s until he seemingly retired. He returned to acting in 2017 for the revival of the David Lynch series "Twin Peaks."

Kathleen Noone joined the cast of "Knots Landing" for its final three seasons, playing Greg Sumner's sister Claudia Whittaker. The actor was already a beloved soap performer, having earned acclaim on "All My Children," and seamlessly fit into the cast. She was nominated for one Soap Opera Digest award for her work.

After the series ended, she began popping up in shows like "Frasier," "L.A. Law," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Ellen," and "Party of Five." In 1997, she was cast as Bette Katzenkazrahi on the soap opera "Sunset Beach," a role which would earn her further nominations for Soap Opera Digest awards and Daytime Emmy awards. The series ended in 1999.

In the early 2000s, Noone landed yet another soap gig playing Edna Wallace on "Passions." During this time, she also had smaller roles in "Days of Our Lives," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Supernatural," "Dexter," (as the title character's would-be mother-in-law Maura Bennett), and the Adam Sandler comedy "You Don't Mess with the Zohan." Her most recent credit was in the 2017 TV movie "A Neighbor's Deception."

Patrick "Pat" Petersen began acting on "Knots Landing" when he was only 13 years old, playing the teenage son of Sid and Karen Fairgate. He recurred on the series throughout its first 10 seasons and became a main cast member for seasons 11 and 12. At this point, he left the series and retired from acting altogether, save for a few reprisals in season 14 and the reunion miniseries.

Petersen mostly took this work as a means of paying for his tuition at the University of Southern California, where he earned a business degree. The last time he spoke to the press, he was working on starting a health and wellness business.

Before she joined the cast of "Knots Landing" as Anne Matheson, Michelle Phillips was best known for being one half of the songwriting duo The Mamas and the Papas. She co-wrote the hit song "California Dreamin'" in 1963. For her work on "Knots Landing," Phillips was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest awards, winning one.

Phillips' next major TV role came in the little-known drama "Second Chances," in which she had a small arc as Joanna Russell. She also appeared on "Diagnosis Murder" and "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." In 1996 she was cast in the short-lived NBC soap opera "Malibu Shores," which notably featured a young Keri Russell.

After it ended, she continued to work on a variety of projects, including Ralph Bakshi's bizarre animated series "Spicy City," "Beverly Hills, 90210" (as Abby Malone), "Love Boat: The Next Wave," "The Magnificent Seven," Claudia Lonow's "Rude Awakening," "Popular," "That's Life," and "7th Heaven." Though she has not acted since 2009, you can hear her "California Dreamin'" in films and TV shows to this day.

John Pleshette's Richard Avery left "Knots Landing" during its 4th season. One of the most terrible husbands in a show full of them, he eventually crashed out as hard as one could, running around his house threatening his family with a gun for no reason in particular. Unsurprisingly, he and his wife Laura got a divorce — though he was given custody of the children when she died in season 9.

Pleshette continued to act, featuring in TV shows like "Highway to Hell," "Windmills of the Gods," CBS' "Beauty and the Beast," "L.A. Law," "Civil Wars," "The Wonder Years," "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," and "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." He also had a prominent recurring role on the ABC legal drama "Murder One," which also starred a young Stanley Tucci. In 1998, he played a producer in the Jim Carrey film "The Truman Show." He continued to guest-star in other projects, and had small supporting roles on "Mike Hammer, Private Eye" and "The Nine." He has not appeared in a film or television show since 2016.

Larry Riley joined the cast of "Knots Landing" at the beginning of its 9th season. He played Frank Williams, a police officer who flees with his family to the titular locale as part of the witness protection program. He was nominated for three Soap Opera Digest awards for his role and won one.

While filming season 13, Riley appeared to be rapidly losing weight. He reportedly told the press in interviews that he was suffering from kidney failure, caused by a combination of high blood pressure and excessive dieting. In reality, Riley was living with a diagnosis of HIV. Though he and his wife insisted Riley was neither gay nor bisexual, he feared that his diagnosis becoming public would negatively affect his career as an actor.

Riley's illness was made public by his wife when the actor passed away in 1992 at the age of 39. "Knots Landing" was his final project.

As Gary Ewing, Ted Shackelford was more or less the center of the "Knots Landing" universe. His character — the estranged third child of the notorious Ewing family featured in "Dallas" — was the closest connection "Knots Landing" had to its mothership program. The series backdoor pilot centered largely on Gary as well. He remained part of the series' core cast for all 14 seasons, though he won neither of the two Soap Opera Digest awards he was nominated for.

With the series finished, Shackelford went across the pond to star in the BBC science fiction police procedural "Space Precinct," which... is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Once that (quickly) wrapped up, the actor returned to America to continue guest-starring in various TV shows, including "Cybill," "The Practice," and "The Outer Limits." In 2006, he was cast as William Bardwell, and later began playing William's twin Jeffrey as well. In 2013, Shackelford also reprised his role as Gary Ewing one last time for the TNT revival of "Dallas," guest-starring on three episodes before its cancellation.

Coming from "General Hospital," Doug Sheehan fit naturally into the environment of "Knots Landing" as Valene's second husband Ben Gibson. He stayed on the show for seasons 5 through 8, winning two Soap Opera Digest awards but vanished thereafter, so he could take part in the rising NBC drama "Day by Day" as a leading character. Unfortunately, it ended after only 33 episodes.

After "Day by Day" went off the air, Sheehan returned to starring in TV movies and guest-starring on shows like "MacGyver," "Dear John," and "Style and Substance." In the second season of the UPN TV adaptation of the film "Clueless," he joined the cast as Cher Horowitz's (Rachel Blanchard playing the role originally performed by Alicia Silverstone) father Mel (in the first season, Mel had been played by Michael Lerner; in the film, he was played by Dan Hedeya).

Once "Clueless" ended, Sheehan had recurring roles in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" (as the titular character's father) and "Passions" before he seemingly retired in 2003. In 2024, he died at the age of 75.

Paige Matheson (played by Nicolette Sheridan) was the daughter of Mack MacKenzie and Anne Matheson, who eventually became the endgame romantic partner of Greg Sumner. She was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest awards and won both, including for Outstanding Lead Actress: Prime Time in 1990. Despite not joining "Knots Landing" until its 7th season, she quickly became one of the show's most arresting performers and stayed part of the main ensemble through its 14th and final season.

Sheridan continued to work consistently after "Knots Landing" came to an end, including in the animated Disney series "The Legend of Tarzan" (voicing the character Eleanor). In 2004, however, her star really took off when she was cast in the hit ABC black comedy "Desperate Housewives" as scandalous real estate agent Edie Britt. She remained a main cast member until the show's 5th season when Edie was killed off. 

Sheridan later sued show creator Marc Cherry over allegations of abuse which she said led to her being fired in a retaliatory manner — her wrongful termination suit was dismissed by a Los Angeles court, which found that Cherry and ABC had acted within the bounds of the contract signed by Sheridan. Since "Desperate Housewives," Sheridan's only major TV role was in 22 episodes of "Dynasty."

For all 14 seasons of "Knots Landing," Joan Van Ark played the role of Valene Ewing. Valene was Gary's longtime love, whom he infamously mistreated and impregnated prior to the start of "Dallas" (their daughter Lucy was essentially kidnapped by J.R. Ewing, and is part of the core ensemble of the mothership series). When "Knots Landing" begins, Valene and Gary are finally reunited and ready to start a new life, but she found love with many other men before the series ended in 1993. She was nominated for four Soap Opera Digest awards and won two. 

Van Ark enjoyed continued success after the end of "Knots Landing," including immediate guest-starring roles on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Cybill," and "The Nanny," and voiced a character on the cult Cartoon Network series "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy." Throughout 2004, she was part of the cast of "The Young and the Restless," playing the role of Gloria Abbott (in 2005, the role was taken over by Judith Chapman). She continued landing guest-starring roles after her tenure on hit shows like "My Name is Earl," the FX animated spy comedy "Archer," and Ryan Murphy's "Nip/Tuck." In 2013, she reprised the role of Valene Ewing on the TNT revival of "Dallas."

Video game fans can hear her voice work in the 2015 classic "Fallout 4" (Roslyn Chambers, Phyllis Daily, and Bonnie Tournquist) and the much less well-received 2023 game "Redfall." She also voiced Mrs. Franklin in the DC Comics TV series "Doom Patrol." She has no projects currently in development, but that may change as new fans discover the drama of "Knots Landing" on streaming.